


tongue tied

by rosebudz



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Compliant, Confessions, First Kiss, Fluff, Happy Ending, Love Confessions, M/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Shitty Angst, Unrequited Love, bc i suck at writing angst, unbetad we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:00:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26992546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosebudz/pseuds/rosebudz
Summary: "I'm fine..." A shaky breath."This is fine." Eyes ahead."Just smile." Crooked smile."...Shit.”In which Hinata has a hard time accepting his afflicting feelings for a certain raven-haired setter.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi, all minor but kagehina, kagehina based
Comments: 16
Kudos: 285





	tongue tied

**Author's Note:**

> (prompt by patronseeker on tumblr)
> 
> this is the first fic that i’ve posted on ao3,, at least since like. 2017 !! (i deleted the first one i ever posted bc. ew) it was supposed to be posted on kagehina day (10/9) but it became something so much bigger than i thought it was gonna be. (i also started to write it the day of, so publishing it on that same day was kinda impossible imo) i really hope you enjoy it!! unbetad

Hinata never believed in fate. He knew that whatever he wanted, he would have to work hard for. It wasn’t something that was going to be handed to him on the whim of the universe.

From the very first and last game of Hinata Shoyo’s junior high volleyball career, he and Kageyama Tobio were destined rivals. They couldn’t and would never get along.

However, as the two found themselves side by side and facing the slammed doors in front of Karasuno gym, they knew the odds were going to have to change. If not, it would cost them their senior high career.

No one said it was going to be easy, though.

Hinata blamed Kageyama for that fact.

“He wouldn’t even spare me a crumb of respect,” He mumbled, his eyebrows furrowed in some mix of anger and frustration as he stumbled his small fingers around his keys until he finally unlocked the door to his home.

“What an asshole.”

The truth was that Kageyama was an asshole, but he was a tolerable one at best. Though he and Hinata fought and fought, it was never something that was taken seriously between the two. In a way, without communication, they knew not to take each other’s insults to heart, because they weren’t true. That was just the type of friendship Kageyama and Hinata had. It was the way their personalities clashed; it didn’t mean it was necessarily bad.

At least, that’s what Hinata hoped.

That “tolerable-asshole” title that Shoyo had given Tobio often faltered and he found himself wondering if Kageyama really did mean what he said. Could he never actually be friends with him?

No one said you couldn’t be friends and rivals, right?

At the same time, Kageyama would warm up to Hinata - slowly but surely. The quips and snaps seemed to have less force behind them each time they erupted from the setters’ throat.

With that, Shoyo found a strange feeling lying in the pit of his stomach, and he wasn’t sure if he’d ever felt that before.

Hinata knew that Kageyama struggled with his emotions. He had trouble expressing himself and was quick to anger like he was a 5’10 ball of pure rage, but he couldn’t find it in himself to say that Tobio hadn’t changed from middle school - from that tyrant king that everyone said he was.

And when Kageyama threw him his first toss, he couldn’t feel more ecstatic about it.

The loud cheering that burst from Hinata and Kagayama when they won their match against the third-years could have lasted longer. Promptly, the two fell straight onto their backs, exhaustion coursing through every bone and muscle in their bodies.

Shoyo glanced towards the setter on his right. He watched as his chest heaved up and down as he breathed heavily, sweat rolling off his forehead, and his raven hair sprawled across the gym floor. He felt that feeling in his stomach grow a little bigger. A little stronger.

Maybe he was catching some kind of stomach bug.

Their first practice match against Aoba Johsai went all too well, but Hinata couldn’t shake the strange look in Kageyama’s eyes when they left Seijoh. It wasn’t aimed towards him, and he knew that, but there was something that tugged at his heart whenever he glanced at Kageyama, eyeing over his furrowed brows and his lips pressed into a firm line. He wouldn’t spare anyone a glance, fingers digging into the fabric straps of his duffle bag.

On the bus, Shoyo took a seat next to Tobio. The setter didn’t pay him any mind, and he knew immediately that something was wrong. Kageyama never passed up an opportunity to nudge at Hinata, whether he meant it or not. (Which, Shoyo, once again, hoped he didn’t. Something about the idea that Tobio really did hate him made his chest tighten.)

Hinata nudged him with his elbow.

“Kageyama,” his voice was soft, not wanting to upset him further. “You’re thinking too loud.”

The teenager took a second to respond. His lips were still in a firm line, but his shoulders relaxed at the sound of Hinata’s voice. Shoyo found himself swallowing at the gesture.

“Sorry,” Kageyama was quiet after that. There was a pang in Hinata’s chest.

“Did Oikawa really get to you that bad?” He started again, speaking barely louder than a whisper. “Kageyama.”

Hinata was trying to pull him back. He was spiraling into his self doubting thoughts with Oikawa's skills as a setter frustrated him. The thought that he'd never be on the same level as the Seijoh setter made him angrier than anything else.

The spiker knew he could have been more vocal about how grateful he was that Tobio pulled him out of his spiral of anxiety during the match - he regretted not even thanking Kageyama silently, underneath his breath where only they could hear, but something about it made Hinata’s heartbeat just a little too fast. He wasn’t necessarily sure what it meant.

The setter pulled him back from the edge of the boat, so why couldn’t he do the same for him?

“Stop thinking. You’re working yourself out,” he placed a faint hand on the other's shoulder, and he almost swore he saw Kageyama ease into it. He was seeing things now, too. Great.

“I know,” Kageyama mumbled back, glancing at Hinata. His features softened as he let out a sigh. “I’m just frustrated.”

Shoyo slowly retracted his hand, almost scared if he didn't Tobio would shrug it off him; he wasn't sure if he could handle that kind of rejection. (He still wasn't sure what that meant for him in the first place.)

Subconsciously, he was coming to a conclusion, not that he'd ever realize it any time soon.

"I think everyone is," Hinata started, turning his head away from Kageyama and lying back into the bus seat. "We just gotta focus on getting better, in the meantime." He smiled with all his teeth, wide and bright.

Kageyama was becoming Hinata’s foundation, and he wasn’t just going to let him win.

That foundation broke the week of the Tokyo training camp.

“He's a stubborn, big-headed, tall asshole!”

Hinata’s head slammed into the vending machine. He was tired. God, he was tired. Physically and emotionally. Kageyama was refusing to adapt their quick - like the stubborn, idiot, asshole he is. They had scared Yachi and gotten yelled at by Tanaka, and Hinata was over it. He was over Kageyama. All the bastard ever did was yell at him.

Yet, the ginger knows that's not true. Tobio was his friend, (whether he knew that or not still was unclear, though) and he cares about him. Deep down, he thinks the setter cares for him too. He just has a disparate way of showing it.

He let out a long sigh and rubbed his forehead where it collided with the glass of the vending machine. He was frustrated, to say the least. They could be better, he knew it. He felt it - but Kageyama’s unwillingness to change was causing a rift between them. A rift that everyone was going to notice.

He is stomach flipped, and he had to take deep breaths to keep himself from getting sick.

“Shoyo?”

At the sound of his name, Hinata groggily turned towards the voice. It was one he knew well - Kenma's. He swallowed dryly.

“You look like shit. What happened?” Kenma took soft steps till he reached the spot next to where the spiker was standing, reaching over and placing coins into the vending machine.

“Kageyama and I got into a fight.” Hinata groaned, suddenly leaning onto the blonde, who was unfazed by the added weight. He pressed a few buttons.

“You and Kageyama fight all the time, Shoyo.” He hummed, grabbing the drinks that were dispensed from the machine in due time.

“I know that, but this was real, like physical, Tanaka had to get between us before we could hurt each other.” The setter eyed Hinata, almost as if he was looking for some invisible bruise that Kageyama might have caused him. (To which Shoyo was sure there was none, but Tobio had thrown him into the gym floor merely an hour or so earlier. That hurt.)

“Over what?” he asked quietly in response, handing a soda can over to the ginger, and he mercilessly placed it onto his forehead in response. “I’m ready to improve our quick. I wanna open my eyes, see the view front the summit.” Hinata threw his head back, eyes drifting over the stars that scattered across the indigo night sky.

“He said no, then?”

“He’s stubborn. He said it doesn’t need to change, that we should focus on other things,” the spiker reached upwards and balled his hand into a fist as if he was trying to catch the north star. He gave another groan as his hand dropped to his side. “But he’s wrong. Yeah, we should be practicing receives and serves as well, but our quick will never get better if we don’t try to change.”

“Is he scared?” Hinata blinked. He raised his head back, tilting it slightly at Kenma as he processed his words.

“Scared?” Shoyo mumbled. Kageyama wasn’t scared of anything. Except maybe Oikawa? No, Oikawa just frustrates him. What could Tobio possibly be scared of?

“Why would he be scared of improving? He’s improved already from middle school,” Kenma shook his head at the reply, his hair gently swaying left and right along with the movement.

“No, I mean,” the blonde paused, taking the time to poke the straw through his drink. “Is he scared of change?”

There was a pregnant pause. Hinata didn’t think about whether or not this had to do with Kageyama not wanting to improve, but more with the fact that improving meant change, and change could have consequences, whether those things are good or bad. The ginger understood the anxiety of it, generally, but he still couldn’t necessarily understand why Kageyama was being too stubborn about it. This was different - the only thing that was going to change was their strategy, they were going to make it to the top easier. Faster.

Maybe that wasn’t what Kageyama was scared of? Maybe he was scared of something changing between the two of them. But it was too late for that. They had already gotten in a physical fight over this, and if that’s not going to change things between them, then Hinata definitely didn’t understand what Kageyama was so scared of.

If not that, then he was scared for Hinata himself. He doesn’t trust him, that he’d be able to adapt, that he wouldn’t catch up to the rest of the team as they fly south for the winter. It still raises the question, why would Kageyama be scared for the spiker? Hinata let out a low sigh in response to the thought. He was overthinking it, he was sure. There couldn’t be that much to it. There was no way Kageyama was scared.

“He probably doesn’t trust me enough,” Shoyo mumbled, lowering his hand that held the cold soda from his red forehead. “He probably thinks I won’t be able to do it. That’s why he said it doesn’t need to change.”

Kenma gave the ginger a look as he held the straw of his drink in his mouth, a hand lazily shoved into his oversized red hoodie - a little too oversized, to the point where it didn’t look like it was Kenma’s hoodie at all.

“I don’t think that’s it, Sho,” he hummed, taking the drink from Hinata’s hand. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You’re partners, after all.”

The blonde turned his head when they heard his name being called in the distance, a certain rooster-head of black hair waving for the younger boy to come back. He turned back to the spiker, pacing a kind hand on Hinata’s shoulder for reassurance, before quickly padding back to the awaiting third-year.

“Partners, huh?” Hinata stared at his reflection in the glass of the vending machine, almost seeing the tall raven-haired setter standing next to him. He shook his head at the thought.

“Yeah, sure.”

There was that growing feeling in his stomach again.

The change in the air was dense. Not a single team couldn’t feel how heavy and thick the air felt around the pair. They didn’t talk, didn’t even glance in each other’s direction.

“What’s up with them?” Bokuto asked, hands on his hips as he leaned forwards into Akaashi’s ear, trying to keep the conversation as quiet as possible - though they both knew not a single person here wasn’t aware of the tension between the freak duo.

Akaashi hummed, looking up to Bokuto before following his gaze to the Karasuno team, narrowed eyes landing on a wild head of orange hair. He was talking happily with Tanaka and Nishinoya, while the raven-haired setter talked silently to Sugawara, who smiled in response.

“It seems they’re not talking.”

The gym was usually filled with the laughter and yelling of the pair, and though talking still filled the gym, it somehow felt silent to them, and Bokuto felt the need to shiver at the cold feeling. He thought it was desolate, to say the least. They seemed to make each other happy. He thought that they were each other’s constants, pulling each other back from the brinks whenever they sauntered too close to the edge of the dock.

"I can see that,” he grumbled lowly, his chin finding its home in the crook of Akaashi’s neck as his eyes never left the team of crows. “Do you think they had a falling out? Maybe they broke up? I hope our training camp didn’t make them break up,” he asked again, glancing over to Akaashi as he eyed the rest of the team, trying to quietly read them.

“I don’t think they were ever dating, Bokuto-san. I believe they got in some kind of fight. A physical fight. Their first-year manager, Yachi-san, looks concerned. Perhaps she witnessed it. Tanaka-san appears to be watching the two closely as well.”

Bokuto’s lips were held in a tight frown as the setter spoke. He could understand Yachi’s concern, but then again, if he and Keiji ever fought, he would be back to his boyfriend with flowers in a mere hour or two. Never longer. He couldn't understand how the two wouldn't even look at each other. He was sure he'd cry if Akaashi gave him the cold shoulder.

Koutarou was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt long fingers running through his gelled hair, and he closed his eyes with a long sigh and a satisfied hum as they scratched at his scalp lazily.

The setter read him like a book. “Don’t compare them to us, Kou. They’re first years. I’m sure they’ll work it out on their own.”

The ace’s lips twitched at the corners of his mouth before he smiled with all his teeth at the use of his nickname rolling off Akaashi’s lips. He gave his boyfriend a quick peck on the cheek before lifting off his shoulder, humming in delight.

“I’m sure you’re right. As always, ‘Kaashi.”

Keiji looked back at the pair over his shoulder as Bokuto walked in front of him, yelling something to the team that the setter didn’t catch. He let out a soft breath.

“I hope I am.”

The matches they played throughout the next few days were rough. Karasuno barely won and suffered the penalty of running and flying laps over and over again. Hinata’s chin burned and felt raw from how much it had collided and rubbed across the gym floor.

In a match against Fukurodani, Hinata felt his resolve begin to wither as his fingers twitched involuntarily, watching Kageyama toss to anyone - everyone but him. There was a tug at his chest.

_“You’re partners, after all.”_

Kenma’s words echoed throughout his brain until he heard a muffled shout of his name and a volleyball colliding into his face. For a second, he saw stars. And maybe a raven-haired angel amongst them. He wondered what an angel was doing in the dark night, glowing as brightly as the moon. Aren’t they supposed to be in the light-filled heaven?

He thought, no, maybe heaven consisted of night and day as well. No one said that it was limited, he thinks. Or maybe he doesn’t. His mind is foggy and all of his thoughts are jumbled, jumping around in his skull like when he has too much caffeine early in the morning before practice. Hinata’s mouth almost watered at the thought of a sweet caffeinated drink, but he gets distracted when he sees that angel again. That midnight angel.

“-nata!” It called, and Shoyo felt like melting as it’s large hands grabbed onto his shoulders as gently as possible, fingers barely coasting over his shirt.

Yeah, definitely an angel.

“Hinata!” the ginger snapped back to reality, his dreamland fading into the back of his mind and he was instantly aware of the growing pain on his nose and face. He bought trembling fingers to touch at the warm liquid that slowly traveled down across his mouth, making him taste metal.

“Huh.” His vision was spotty, little black dots scattered across the images of worried expressions around the gym. He suddenly recognized the figure he may have accidentally called an angel, though he would never admit to it. At least, not out loud.

“Hey, Kageyama, I’m bleeding,” he gave a wet laugh, blood running down his chin. Kageyama gave him a groan, pulling him off his feet and handing him a tissue that Kiyoko had given him.

“Hinata-kun! Can you see?” Takeda-sensei came jogging up to him, giving him a few more tissues. “Spotty,” he replied quietly, unanticipatedly leaning all his weight onto the setter next to him, who responded by hesitantly placing his hands on Hinata’s arms to steady him. Pain shot through Hinata’s nose as he gave a low moan. Takeda-sensei was speaking, but he wasn’t able to catch anything he was saying.

Before he could reply with a groggy, confused, blood-soaked, star and angel-seeing “what?” he felt himself being pulled out of the gym.

The spiker winced as Kageyama placed the material on his nose.

“Stop moving. You’re going to make the splint crooked.”

His voice was firm but laced with an all too well familiar concern, and Hinata felt his breath hitch in his throat.

“Sorry,” he mumbled back, head turned towards the setter, but eyes focused on some random jar filled with cotton balls on the left side of the room, avoiding Kageyama’s glare. Suddenly the tips of Kageyama’s fingers felt way too hot against the skin of his nose.

“What’s wrong.” It sounded more like a demand than a question, but Hinata’s body still betrayed him and tensed as he heard the words come out from Kageyama’s mouth.

“Nothing,” spoken gentle and reticently, he could feel Tobio’s glare piercing through his skull. The setter could easily tell he was lying, and Hinata wondered if he should have tried to put on a front of his normal, happy-go-lucky demeanor.

He couldn’t bring himself to do it, though. Some part of him felt like doing that was wrong. Trying to put up a facade in front of Kageyama just felt wrong.

“Boke! You got hit with a serve that was called out way before it would have collided with your face! Something’s wrong! You were completely out of it!”

The setter’s words hit him like a brick wall. Was he really swallowed into his thoughts for that long? He tried to recall the moments before he was hit with the volleyball, but nothing came up. He must have looked like an idiot. Unresponsive and probably muttering under his breath.

This was stupid. God, it was so stupid. Their stupid fight, avoiding each other, it was all so stupid. He missed Kageyama. He missed the snark insults that he never really meant, the false look of disappointment on his face when Hinata went and did something so utterly stupid, making himself laugh in the process.

It was more frustrating than the first night they got into that fight, hands pulling at each other’s shirts, stretching collars and loud erupted words that Hinata couldn’t even begin to recall. Tanaka running in and pulling them apart with a scowl that the ginger never knew he had lying underneath his constant smile. Yachi’s eyes were glassy, and Shoyo couldn’t help but feel angry. Frustrated, ashamed.

Kenma’s words echoed through his brain again.

_“Is he scared of change?”_

Hinata looked up to Kageyama. He scrunched his nose, feeling the material move along his skin, and a slight twinge of pain running up to his forehead.

“Kageyama,” he started, softer than he thought he could manage. The setter raised an eyebrow as a reply.

“Are you scared of change?” He visibly noticed Kageyama’s shoulders hunch up at his question.

“What are you talking about, dumbass?” the teenager huffed, turning his gaze away from the ginger.

_Dumbass._ Hinata didn’t know why he all of the sudden missed being called a dumbass so badly. He hadn’t even known he missed it until the word fell from Kageyama’s lips.

Tobio knew exactly what he was talking about. The spiker watched his shoulders become stiff as he evaded Hinata’s eyes. It meant he was lying; Shoyo had caught him off guard. (In the back of his head, Hinata questioned when he began noticing these minuscule details about the setter. He couldn’t pinpoint it.)

“I mean, in general, does the thought of change scare you?” Shoyo began to play with his fingers, looking down at them in hopes to make Kageyama feel more comfortable. He didn’t expect a response, or a truthful one at that.

It was still for a second.

“...yeah, it does.”

Hinata noticed the way that the setter’s fingers began to dig into his biceps, and he couldn’t help but feel that he crossed a line.

“I’m sorry, you didn’t have to tell me,”

Kageyama shook his head.

“No, I’m sorry, Hinata. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that. Our fight was dumb, we scared Yachi and Tanaka over something I should have been agreeing with.” The teenager rubbed the back of his neck after releasing his arms from his death grip.

“You’re right. I'm scared of drastic change. But that's normal..right? Change is constant, I can't avoid it," He spoke, voice low. "...I was- No, I am scared I won't have the skills to adapt our quick."

Hinata’s eyes enlarged. Kageyama _apologized._ He felt the back of his neck burn, but his heart dropped into his stomach as the setter's words.

“We’re partners, Kageyama. I know you have the skills to adapt our quick.”

He missed the way Kageyama’s eyes widened at the statement, placing his hand over his mouth as he flushed, turning his head to the side away from the spiker. A smile went unnoticed behind it before it fell to his side.

“Yeah. We are.”

Hinata feels himself consciously getting closer to figuring out what the truth behind that stomach bug is, and he suddenly feels his chest grow tight.

It was autumn.

The leaves were a mellow orange-red shade, falling aimlessly from the dormant trees. Shoyo finds himself staring upwards towards the light blue sky, reaching out towards it with his hand. He grasps at nothing, maybe trying to pull the clouds down to earth. He releases his fist and it drops to his side.

The ginger let out a hot breath into the cold air as a breeze gently blew past, making a chill run down his spine, a noticeable shiver shaking his body sparingly as he cups his hands around his mouth, breathing out more hot air into his cold hands.

When Hinata feels a soft fabric wrap around his neck, he turns around to see Kageyama standing behind him, avoiding his gaze as his fingers pulled and tugged at the blue scarf he had just taken off and wordlessly wrapped around the gingers’ neck.

“You’ll catch a cold if you don’t start putting more layers on, dumbass,” it’s mumbled and barely audible, but still loud enough for Shoyo to hear.

Kageyama doesn’t say anything else afterward, merely walking ahead of Hinata. The spiker follows, a comfortable silence sitting in the air as another breeze passes by and causes Shoyo to snuggle into the warmth of Tobio’s scarf. It smells like Kageyama’s shampoo and faint flower detergent, and Hinata decides there’s nothing more comforting.

When he looks up to the setters back, Shoyo wonders when he fell so hard.

Hinata stares at himself in the mirror. He's gripping onto the counter so tightly his knuckles are turning white, his heart slamming against his chest so fast he feels he might burst. He can feel all the heat in his face, ears, and on the back of his neck, and he refuses to accept it.

He _refuses_ to accept it.

"I'm fine." A shaky breath.

Hinata Shoyo does not have feelings for Kageyama Tobio.

"This is fine." Eyes ahead.

Calm, together. Holding it all together. Pushing it down. Pretending it's not there -

"Just smile." A crooked, obviously in-love, flushed smile.

That tall, stubborn, pretty, annoying, attractive, asshole.

"Shit."

Hinata feels himself slipping.

The next practice hit Shoyo harder than he could manage. He constantly side-eyed Kageyama, his cheeks becoming warmer each time as he quickly looked away before the setter could notice. He could tell his performance was faltering. Daichi and Sugawara had begun to glance at him, sharing a concerned look throughout the entire practice. Kageyama yelled more that day, and he yelled back. Like usual - back to normal, back and forth, teasing. Friends.

_Friends._

Hinata's chest tightened and he missed a receive, a mumbled "fuck" falling off his lips.

When he glanced over to the setter again, he caught his glare and Kageyama narrowed his eyes at the ginger. He swallowed nervously, then watched with large eyes as the teenager let out a breath and turned around without a word.

Suddenly his mind was running a thousand miles per hour.

At the end of practice, Daichi and Sugawara dragged Hinata into the storage room with the excuse that they were grabbing mops.

"Hinata," Daichi spoke, quietly but firmly, and Shoyo felt a form lump in his throat.

"Daichi- I- I'm sorry!" He bowed his head, arms straightened at his sides. He knew he had to pull himself together. "I'll be on my best tomorrow!"

Daichi shook his head, and Sugawara placed a gentle hand on Hinata's shoulder.

"Hinata, what's wrong? I've never seen you so out of it at practice before today," Koushi's eyes scanned over the spiker’s face, a clear parental-like concern in them as his eyebrows turned up in worry.

"I'm-," Shoyo paused. Did he want to lie? This was Sugawara and Daichi. Why would he lie to them? He grabbed the front of his shirt, fingers clutching at the fabric tightly.

"Does this have something to do with Kageyama?" Daichi asked, his voice low and tender. Hinata’s muscles tightened, hiking up his shoulders visibly. His tongue darted out to wet his lips, and his mouth felt dry. Should he tell them? Tell them what, he thought, because he does not have feelings for Kageyama Tobio.

His soft smile whenever Shoyo hits a spike from his set does not make his heart race. His hushed laugh at the ginger's dumb antics that he thinks goes unnoticed does not make his chest constrict. The look that he gives the spiker when they win a game does not make him forget how to breathe. The gentle, burning touch of his fingertips grazing Hinata's when he hands him a volleyball does not make his face flush, and the thought of Kageyama's hands cupping his face slowly and leaning in -

"fuck," he breathed out, words hot and heavy as they fell from his lips. His shoulders dropped, abruptly feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders, weighing him down into the ground, making it crack and break underneath the soles of his shoes.

"Hinata?"

The tame voice of Sugawara pulled him out of his thoughts, so calm and caring as if Koushi spoke any louder Hinata would break in two, and he was suddenly aware of the warm drops of liquid running down his burning face and dripping onto his shirt, leaving small wet circles on the plush fabric.

"Oh." He mumbled, reaching a quivering hand to coast over his wet cheeks.

"Hinata, what happened?" Sugawara placed his hands onto both of the spiker’s shoulders, rubbing slow small circles into his skin through the fabric of his shirt comfortingly. Shoyo leaned into the touch of his upperclassmen.

"I'm scared," his voice was faint and cracked, and it didn't even sound like it was coming from him. How pathetic he must look now.

"Of what?"

Hinata closed his eyes, eyebrows furrowed intensely and his breath hitching at the lump in his throat as he bit his lip trying not to let out a crooked, pathetic sob.

"My feelings."

Sugawara’s face contorted sympathetically and he placed a feeble hand onto the back of the spiker's head, fingers running through wild orange hair before slowly pulling him into his chest and rubbing soothing circles on his back. He shared a concerned glance with Daichi.

"Hinata, it's okay. Breath with me. Nice and slow, okay?"

With a hiccup, Hinata began to listen to Sugawara's slow breaths, grasping at his vice-captain’s shirt with trembling fingers. Taking shaky breaths, he slowly calmed, resting his forehead onto Sugawara's chest with a breathy sigh. He didn't open his eyes, he didn't move, but he knew the gray-haired setter was waiting for him. He listened to the calm beating of the setter's heartbeat before speaking lowly in the silence of the storage room.

"...I like him. I really like him. Every time he smiles I feel like my heart is going to burst out of my body. His laugh makes my chest tighten so much I'm afraid I'll lose my breath. I feel like I can't breathe around him, my face is hot and I stutter and I can't control it-,"

Before he could continue, Koushi put a gentle hand on his cheek, a wordless communication telling Hinata to take a breath. He knew he was rambling, but he couldn't help it. Not when it came to Kageyama.

Sugawara let out a low chuckle. He didn't ask who it was about, he already knew without a confession. "You sound like Daichi our second year."

At that, Daichi's mouth fell agape and hit the setter in the arm, but not enough to hurt him. Koushi only let out another laugh.

Hinata looked between the two. He looked at Daichi, his face flushed and ears red with embarrassment. Then Sugawara, who put a meek hand on Daichi's cheek, and he watched as his captain melted into the soft touch. He blinked. _Oh- oh. Oh!_

"Oh!" Shoyo yelped, not much louder than a whisper. The pair looked at him, and Daichi only became a darker shade of red as Sugawara turned back to the spiker.

"You're in love, Hinata."

His breath stopped in his throat, and he tried to remember how to breathe.

"No, 'mm not," he mumbled into his hand, eyes darting around to anywhere else in the storage room, attempting to avoid his upperclassmen as they carefully eyed his actions. He only got a shared laugh as a response.

"Hey!" He yelled, though his voice cracked and his face was still hot. Daichi slapped him on the back, making him wince and jump forward slightly.

"It's okay, Hinata.” Daichi looked from the first year to his boyfriend, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips as Koushi looked back at him with the same loving, caring, longing look in his eyes. “It's okay to be in love."

Hinata found himself with a small smile on his face when he looked at the couple. He wondered if someone would ever look at him the way his Daichi and Sugawara looked at each other. (He thinks, someone, anyone, but in reality, it’s only him. It’s only ever been him. He wants him to look at him like that.)

His smile doesn’t last as his thoughts begin to wander again.

"It hurts." Sugawara and Daichi turned to him, their smiles faltering as he spoke. Hinata felt guilty as he watched their bright smiles fall haphazardly off their faces and landed on the floor with a faint thud.

Daichi and Sugawara shared another look. They communicated wordlessly through their eyes.

"Hinata, why are you in denial?"

Daichi’s voice wasn’t as gentle as Sugawara’s had been, but he knew the question still wouldn’t have hit him any less hard if the gray-haired setter had asked it.

"In denial?" he asked, though he knew exactly what Daichi meant. He just didn’t want to admit it. He _couldn’t_ admit it. He’d rather just play dumb.

His lie didn’t even make it past his own eyes. Daichi knew, there was no way he wouldn’t. He let out a breath. "Your entire face was red, and yet you denied the fact that you're in love. Why?"

Hinata tugged at the fabric of his shirt anxiously, twisting and untwisting small sections as he stared at his feet. He couldn’t even look his captains in the eyes. How pathetic.

Then again, the mere idea that Daichi maybe could have been speaking from experience comforted him. It gave him hope as he thought back to that look on his face. The content, in love, and caring look in his eyes. He thought Daichi was happier now than he’d ever been before he was with Sugawara, and it almost gave him that hope, thinking that if they were able to find each other - maybe he could, too. Almost.

"...I don't know. I'm scared. I don't want to lose him. He's my partner." It took all of the strength he could muster to stop his voice from quivering as he spoke.

"And what makes you think he doesn't feel the same way?" It was Sugawara’s voice this time, the same, honey glazed voice that could soothe anyone to sleep. It calmed Hinata’s thoughts, if only for a second.

But Hinata’s eyes still widened when he finally processed the question. He stared at the floor, fingers wringing together, averting his vice-captain’s leering eyes.

He felt unsteady, rocking back and forth from the balls to the heels of his feet anxiously. He couldn’t answer the setter’s question.

What if Kageyama felt the same way?

Shoyo couldn’t bring himself to think about it. It would only make his feelings so much worse.

Besides, there wasn’t even the slightest chance.

_“You’ll catch a cold if you don’t start putting more layers on, dumbass,”_

Hinata sneezed.

He felt a laugh bubble in the back of his throat as he thought back onto the memory, but only ended up coughing into his tissue with a low groan. Glancing over to the navy blue scarf folded neatly on his dresser, a modest smile tugged on the corner of his lips.

His mind felt foggy, thoughts jumbling and mixing together. The spiker had already forgotten he had to take his medicine again about four times in the ten minutes when he first recalled it, standing up and walking into the kitchen just to leave with a confused expression on his face. His knees felt weak and his face was hot, causing the school nurse to send him home when he stumbled into her office.

Natsu was at school and his mom was at work, leaving the ginger to fend for himself. He knew if he tried to make his way to practice Coach Ukai would only make him sit out, and Sugawara and Daichi would send him home as soon as possible. The only other option was to abstain embarrassment and skip practice altogether, though the thought made him want to shrivel up.

Shoyo shivered, his fingers gripping onto his thick blanket weakly as he sniffled.

God, he hated being sick. With every muscle and bone in his body. It made him feel weak and vulnerable, everything about it made his blood boil. He wanted nothing more than to be standing on the court, practicing his spikes with Kageyama.

Hinata wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he heard knocking coming from his front door. He slowly stood up, wrapping the blanket around his shoulders and he padded to the door. The knocking only got louder and more abundant.

“I’m coming,” he was sure his voice was too raspy and quiet for whoever was on the other side of the door to hear, but he spoke anyway.

When he opened the door, sunlight burst through it into the dark house and made him squint at the tall figure that stood behind it. He had to shake off his thoughts and watch them fall off his shoulders to the cold ground when he mused that the dark figure looked like an angel in the bright sky. He was completely out of it, anyway.

His head felt like a bowling ball and his mind was a foggy, snowy dream space. He shivered at the feeling.

“-Hinata? Are you listening to me?” The spiker blinked. Was he talking that entire time? A cold wind passed through the open door and he shivered again. Oh.

“You look like shit. I told you you were going to get sick, dumbass,” Kageyama pushed past him and closed the door, locking it before he eyed Hinata up and down. His hair was a rat's nest, more than usual, stray pieces sticking out everywhere and his bangs sticking to his sweaty forehead. He sniffled, trying to weakly adjust the way the thick blanket sat over him, slipping off his left shoulder slowly. He looked like a complete mess, and Kageyama took note that nobody else seemed to be home.

With a huff, the setter gently pushed Hinata’s bangs to the side before placing his hand on his forehead. “You’re burning up,” he mumbled, eyebrows knitting together. “When was the last time you took some medicine?”

“Medicine?” Hinata coughed. Oh. He had forgotten about the medicine, again. How many times was that now? Six? Seven? Glancing at Tobio then the clock, he clenched the blanket around his shoulders with little force. “...I was supposed to take it two hours ago. I keep forgetting.”

Tobio shook his head with a huff. Shoyo wasn’t sure if it was out of anger, frustration, concern, or maybe all three. He guessed it was the latter.

“Go back to your bed.”

With a hoarse groan and a murmured curse, the ginger complied and slowly made his way to his bedroom before landing into the soft sheets. He almost would have fallen asleep if his head wasn’t pounding into his skull with such force he thought it was going to pop right out of his ears. The slow creak of his door made him turn his head, eyes slanted as Kageyama placed a bowl onto his nightstand and told him to sit up.

“Drink.”

He downed the medicine in one go and whined at the disgusting taste lingering in his mouth before reaching out for the glass of water that the setter was holding. Kageyama gave it to him, taking it back after the ginger gulped half of it and placed it next to the bowl. He tapped Shoyo’s chin in a gesture for him to open his mouth before sticking a thermometer under his tongue.

“Have you eaten?” Hinata shook his head.

“Drinken anything?” Another shake of his head. The small beep from the thermometer went off and Kageyama’s nose twitched as he looked at the digits on the object in his hand.

“No wonder your fever's so high. You haven’t been taking care of yourself.” When the ginger’s heart rate sped up at the lace of concern in the setter’s voice, he knew that it wasn’t the fever that caused it.

“Shouldn’t you be at practice, Kags?” he asked, voice reserved and scratchy. He wondered if Sugawara had pushed Kageyama to check on him, or if he came on his own will. He let the thick blanket fall off his shoulders and kneaded the soft fabric in between his fingers.

“I can’t practice without my spiker.”

Hinata’s face flushed and he thanked his fever for hiding his bashfulness behind the excuse of “I’m sick.” He didn’t think he could handle Kageyama’s reaction if he saw the spikers face turn beat red at the sound of being called his partner.

“We need to get you back on your feet, and tomorrow we can practice together.” The setter picked up the bowl of soup and gently handed it to Hinata, waiting for it to settle into his hands before letting go of it.

There was a pause, and Shoyo stared into the broth as it moved slowly back and forth from the movement. He pretended to ignore how frigid Kageyama’s calloused fingertips felt when they grazed his burning skin.

He gripped the bowl tightly. “...Are you sure Sugawara didn’t make you come?”

He couldn’t have been more grateful that his voice didn’t crack when it left his lips, but he sounded so small when he asked the question. He wondered if Kageyama would laugh at him.

In return, Kageyama only tilted his head at the question innocently. When Shoyo glanced over to him, he swore his heart was going to rupture out of his chest if it began beating any faster. The only word that could form cognitively in his mind was cute, and he knew Tobio was going to be the death of him.

“I came to check up on you because I was worried. I knew you’d never skip practice in your right mind.” The setter took a seat on the edge of his bed, glancing around the room for a few seconds before speaking again. “I’m glad I did.”

He spoke delicately, and Hinata wasn’t necessarily sure what he meant when he’d said that, but it made his breath cease nevertheless. The that formed lump in his throat only caused him to go into a coughing fit, and Kageyama pulled the bowl of soup away from him before he placed a hand on the ginger’s shoulder. There was a quiet “you okay?” and Shoyo merely nodded, taking deep breaths to regain his composure.

The soup was put back into his hands again. “Eat.”

Complying, Hinata stuck the silver spoon in his mouth as he watched Kageyama’s eyes drift across the room again. They landed on the folded fabric on his dresser, and the spiker’s heart dropped when he lifted himself off the bed to pick it up, stammering something that he couldn’t hear. He sat down on the bed, the scarf in his lap as he waited for Shoyo to finish his food.

It took a few times where Hinata almost spit broth all over Kageyama and his bedsheets due to coughing fits, but he finally finished the soup and Tobio took the bowl from him, disappearing out of the room. He looked down at the scarf that the setter had left on his bed, fingers idly playing with the fabric as he fell back on his pillows, pulling the light material up to his chest. He didn’t want Kageyama to take it back yet.

His eyes fell droopy and he closed them, ready to slip away when a cool material was placed on his forehead, and he let out a sigh of content without meaning too.

Just as his breathing slowed and felt himself lowering into a pleasant slumber, long fingers found their way to his, intertwining delicately, and the dark blue material of the scarf fell to his chest, forgotten.

The air was crisp and icy, a breeze blowing past and nipping at the ginger’s skin. A snowflake gently landed on Hinata’s red nose, his mouth falling slightly agape as he smiled, feeling the snowflake melt on his warm skin then run down to drip off the tip of his nose. He tugged his glove off and put his hand out in front of him, feeling more small snowflakes fall into his palm before melting into a small puddle. He watched his hot breath form fog as he breathed, dissipating just as quickly as it formed.

“Hey, Hinata!”

The ginger turned around at the call, locking eyes with a waving Yamaguchi and a disinterested Tsukishima. He waited as the pinch server jogged over, Tsukishima following behind him slowly.

“Hey Yama,” he replied when Tadashi stopped in front of him, a wide smile on his face as he spoke. “Are you waiting for Kageyama?”

Hinata nodded. They always walked home together now, even from the beginning of the year when they could barely stand next to each other without getting into some kind of verbal fight. It almost felt strange, but it was their normal. (And Hinata wouldn’t trade it for anyway else.)

“Ah, well, then you can ask him for me. I’m having a get together at my house for new years, nothing too special or crowded, hopefully - at least,” he paused, scratching his cheek with a gloved hand. “Just the team and some others, so if you and Kageyama could come, that’d be nice,” he smiled again, placing a hand on Hinata’s shoulder as Tsukishima finally stopped behind him.

“Oh, yeah!” Hinata gave Yamaguchi a thumbs up, watching as he stepped back and slipped his hand into Tsukishima’s.

“Great! Thanks, Hinata. I’ll see you there!”

Hinata nodded as they left, noticing the nudges and the light whispering they were doing as they passed, soft smiles and quiet laughs. They seemed happy. It was a long time coming for those two getting together, and it was strange how they didn’t see it earlier. Tsukishima’s pining was so obvious and Yamaguchi never stopped blushing - or smiling, for that matter.

He could only hope he didn’t look the same way whenever he talked to Kageyama. It made his heart tug at the thought, everyone watching him with his dumb unrequited love in pity.

_“Why are you in denial?"_

Shoyo sighed. Why wouldn’t he be? Love is a drastic change, and Kageyama was scared of severe change. He’d freak the setter out and lose his partner. He couldn’t handle that along with a rejection of not feeling the same way - or not even being gay at all.

Hinata’s heart dropped into his stomach. He didn’t even know if Kageyama was gay. He knew he never had a chance, but it didn’t change the fact that it hurt. He slipped on the glove that he had taken off earlier before shoving his hands in his pockets. He couldn’t handle merely just thinking about it anymore. It tugged and pulled on him until he was torn and ripped apart.

A tug on the material that hung around his shoulders jerked him out of his thoughts.

“There’s no point in me giving you this scarf if you’re not gonna wear it right, dumbass.” The spiker’s chest condensed as he looked up to Kageyama. He had his fingers in the fabric, wrapping it around Hinata’s neck gently, bringing it up to his cold face and cheeks.

“I don’t want you to get sick again. You barely take care of yourself.” His words were slightly muffled against his own scarf, and Hinata swallowed dryly at their closeness. He tried his best to keep his face from heating up, but he was sure he wasn't successful.

“I can take care of myself just fine, idiot,” he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and turning his head to the side, looking away from the setter.

“I literally had to take care of you! You kept forgetting to do, oh I don’t know, everything!”

“That was one time!”

“It still says a lot! Dumb-”

Kageyama got cut off when a ball of snow smacked into his face, slowly sliding off to reveal his eyebrows knitted together and lips in a firm pout.

“-ass.” he finished, before kneeling down and scooping the snow into his hands.

Hinata yelped, turning around and running up the snow-covered trail before feeling a cold lump hit the back of his head. He quickly whipped his head around, stumbling forward to reach and cup more snow into his gloved hands.

The two continued to throw lumps of white snow at each other until they were panting, their breaths making the air look foggy as they laughed. Kageyama brushed off snow from his shoulders and jacket before it could melt. He took a step towards Hinata before gently placing a hand on his head and ruffling snow out of his hair.

“I still don’t want you getting sick again,” he repeated, looking down at the spiker, and Shoyo couldn’t help but notice how his expression had softened.

Actually, he couldn’t help but notice everything. The curve of his jawline, the way his lips sat together in a thin line, and he always thought he looked cute when his eyebrows unknitted themselves from their constant furrowing.

For a second, a second of bliss, Hinata didn’t realize how close they were - merely centimeters away from each other's faces as Kageyama brushed snow out of his orange hair. He thought, only if for a millisecond, that he could just lean forward - or he could cup that sharp jawline in his hands and - Hinata panicked when he saw Kageyama leaning in.

“Yamaguchi is having a get together on new years - he wants us to go!”

Those words erupted from his throat without warning, and Shoyo took a quick step back from the setter. What just happened? What just happened? What - The question bounced around Hinata’s brain like it was going to be the last thing he ever thought, and the truth was, he had no idea. He could have been seeing things, or maybe, just maybe, that dim light of hope in his heart wanted to believe that Kageyama wanted to kiss him in the snow.

“Oh. Are you going?” The setter asked, and if Hinata didn’t know any better, he’d say that there was a slight hint of disappointment interlaced in his voice.

“Yeah, I am,” he nodded earnestly, tugging at the scarf wrapped around his neck to cover his mouth.

“...I guess I’ll go, then.”

Hinata looked up to Kageyama through his lashes, feeling his breath warm up the scarf, a smile hidden underneath the dark blue fabric.

“Cool.”

As the duo walked home together, Shoyo could feel his cup of water beginning to overfill, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could prevent it.

The get-together was as small as Yamaguchi said it was going to be, consisting of the Karasuno volleyball team and some strays here and there. There was indistinct conversation and soft music as they mostly just enjoyed the presence of each other over anything else that was happening.

Hinata tapped his fingers on his thigh as he looked to the clock, the time barely passed ten pm. He could hear Tanaka and Nishinoya’s roaring laughter as Tanaka threw an arm around Ennoshita, rambling about incoherent nonsense, and Shoyo figured the two had snuck in alcohol at some point in the night. A lenient smile played on his face and a chuckle slipped out of his mouth as he watched them.

He focused on Kiyoko and Yachi next, who were talking solemnly in the corner of the room. Daichi and Sugawara were next to them, intervening in the conversation when beckoned, but otherwise, they gently swayed with the music (whether it was slow or pop, they didn't seem to care - too wrapped up in each other to really even notice), Koushi’s arms wrapped around Daichi’s neck and Sawamura’s hands gently rubbing circles into the setter's waist. They stood there, swaying softly, smiling and laughing.

Yamaguchi and Tsukishima were in the kitchen, and he assumed they were overlooking drinks and snacks, but Hinata barely caught a glimpse of them throughout the night, so he assumed that they were sharing kisses in the privacy of the kitchen. He knew Tsukishima wasn’t one for PDA, and he was grateful he didn’t have to watch more couples flaunting their relationship. He silently thanked them.

It wasn’t that Shoyo wasn’t happy for them, but something about watching them made his chest tighten, as sweet and domestic as it looked. Maybe it was that he knew in the back of his mind that he was never going to be like them.

When the couch sunk next to him due to the weight of someone sitting down, he turned to see who it was. He beamed when he saw Kenma's familiar ombre hair. The setter didn’t look at him - his eyes glued to his Nintendo switch, but gave him a soft smile in return.

Kenma and Kuroo had been in town, so when the offer came up to join the small get together with Karasuno, they decided it wasn’t something to miss. (Even if Kenma wasn’t one for outings, he could enjoy small ones. He also liked the idea of seeing Shoyo again, so Kuroo sprinkled in that fact when convincing him to go.)

“Hey Ken,” Hinata remarked, looking over his shoulder to peek at the game he was playing, leaning into him and grasping at his calves from his criss-cross position on the couch. There was a quiet “hey” in response, and he turned the screen slightly, allowing Shoyo to watch him play. The spiker smiled as he watched the little characters on the screen.

Kuroo had come back with a drink in his hand at some point, plopping down on the ground in-between Kenma’s legs. The setter only threw his legs over his boyfriend’s shoulders in return, but Hinata knew this was Kenma’s way of affection. It was his way of a little “I love you.” He was sure Kuroo knew the same thing.

“Hey hey hey!” the voice pierced the ginger’s ears, hands grabbing his shoulders and shaking him mildly. He tilted his head to look up at the spiker, whose hand found his way to ruffle his orange hair.

“Bokuto! I didn’t know you were gonna be here,” he blinked, looking over Bokuto’s shoulder to the setter behind him, who gave him a small nod in acknowledgment. He nodded back with a thin smile as a small hello.

“Kuroo invited us,” he gestured towards the messy tuff of black hair that sat on the ground in front of them, scrolling through his phone aimlessly. He cocked his head to look at the group, a sly smile on his lips.

“I thought he’d liven the place up a bit, that’s all,” he shrugged, resting his elbow on Kenma’s knee before turning back around to his phone. The setter leaned forwards, chin settling on the top of Kuroo’s head as he muttered something to him, and the Nekoma captain hummed sweetly to let his boyfriend know he was listening.

Hinata tried not to stare at the two as Bokuto’s loud voice slowly drowned out.

There were so many couples around him - and they all seemed so happy, so content. He couldn’t help but think back, to all those what-ifs. When his eyes scanned around the room, they stopped on the setter that he couldn’t get out of his mind. He was like a cd replaying on repeat in Hinata’s brain, over and over again.

It’s such a lovely tune, though, and he can’t seem to get over it. He’s not mad it’s on replay, not at all, because every time the song restarts he’s reminded of just how much he loves it. Every part of the song, from the bridge to the chorus, the instruments, and the lyrics - everything about it makes his face flush and his heart run marathons, and he can’t help but wonder what if life would be like without this song.

He can’t help but wonder if he’ll ever get over this song, tired of it, and finally pack it up and put the cd away. The thought makes his stomach turn upside down. He didn’t want to put the cd away. Not- not yet, at least. He thought, maybe, if he could be let down, considerately as possible, then he'd finally learn how to change the cd.

But for now, that sliver, glowing piece of hope in the back of his head, in the middle of his heart, refuses to give up, and he wonders how he got here - refusing to give up when he used to fend off the way he felt. The complete 180 he’s made since the beginning of the year is roughly astonishing. He ponders if it’ll haunt him in some way, like a ghost, for the rest of time.

By the time he’s concluded his thoughts, Tadashi is rushing everyone to get outside for the fireworks and countdown. He checks the clock. It’s ten till midnight, and he muses the fact that maybe it could be his chance. He doubts it, but something tugs at his heartstrings at the idea that it could be, because at this point (or maybe it was the desperation), Hinata was sure Kageyama was trying to kiss him that day in the snow.

He wants to say the dumb cliche term of “new year, new me,” even if he knows it rarely ever comes true.

The spiker follows Kenma and Kuroo outside, but quickly leaves the pair to give them some privacy. He looks around, spotting each couple he’d observed through the night in a different spot around the front yard, and Hinata remembers. He remembers that stupid saying. He thinks it’s so cliche, he knows it's so cliche, and yet he finds himself wanting to adhere to it - because if you kiss when the clock strikes midnight, it means you’ll be together forever, right? (Or something along the lines. He's not 100% sure.)

He tilts his head back to look at the starry night, one of his hands reaching out for that same bright north star he finds himself trying to grasp at. He likes to think that it’s lucky.

“Hinata?”

That familiar voice catches him off guard. It’s the same one that sings that sweet toon that repeats in the back of his head every single day.

“Hey, Kageyama,” he replies, his voice quiet as he drops his hand to his side and crooks his head to look behind him at the setter. He doesn’t try to hide the smile that falls on his lips in the dark.

Kageyama settles next to Hinata, eyes gravitating across the same luminous night sky, fireworks going off in the distance even though it hadn’t hit midnight yet.

Shoyo gives in to the voice in the back of his mind and leans onto Kageyama, eyes not leaving the sky as he hums. Kageyama doesn’t stiffen, he doesn’t react to the added weight at all. He just mindlessly shoves his hands into his hoodie pocket, leaning his head on top of the spiker's fluffy hair.

Hinata feels the clock tick down.

_**Ten.** _

“Hey, Kageyama?”

_**Nine.** _

He sounded vulnerable. He wasn't sure if he was going to pull through, but he wanted to try. He had to.

_**Eight.** _

“Yeah, Hinata?”

_**Seven.** _

here was a pause.

_**Six.** _

His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. It was louder in his ears than the fireworks combined.

_**Five.** _

“I-”

_**Four.** _

_"You're in love, Hinata."_

The cup overflowed.

_**Three.** _

“I’m in love with you.”

_**Two.** _

A smile. Soft, caring, bright. His smile. (Hinata pretends he didn’t see how cute Kageyama looks with his entire face red and his eyes wide, for the setter’s sake only. He commits the image to memory for himself.)

_**One.** _

Fireworks. Loud, bright, colorful.

But everything besides the beating of his own heart was drowned out as Kageyama pressed his lips against Hinata’s, a hand softly cupping the ginger’s face, his thumb caressing over Shoyo’s cheekbone.

The only thing the spiker knew at the moment was the feeling of the setter’s warm lips against his own, caring and sweet, holding Shoyo’s face so cautiously as if he was porcelain waiting to break underneath his touch. He wrapped his fingers around the collar of Tobio’s hoodie, tugging on it to try and deepen the kiss. It was complete and utter bliss.

When they pulled away, Hinata knew he's never smiled wider than he did then, standing on his tippy toes to press another chaste kiss on Kageyama’s lips. He felt the setter smile into the kiss, and Hinata let a giggle escape his throat.

“I’m in love with you, dumbass,” Kageyama replied as he’d processed what he had done, his face flushing with a small noise at his own words as he tried to cover it with the back of his hand, dodging his partner’s round eyes, waiting, smiling, laughing.

Hinata reached up, attentively cupping the setter’s face and pulled him down to his height, before placing feather-light kisses all over his face. One on the tip of his nose, then his forehead, both his cheeks, his eyelids, and then the last one on his lips.

They leaned their foreheads together, the tips of their nose barely brushing against each other.

“You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to say that,” he spoke quietly, and Kageyama opened his eyes in a gesture to question him.

“Since when?” he asked, and Hinata found himself giggling again.

“I think from the match we won with the thirds-years, but I was in denial for a really long time,” he hummed, thumbs slowly running back and forth on Kageyama’s cheekbones.

“That early?” another hum.

“It was our fight at training camp for me. I missed you, so much, you and your dumb antics,” Hinata didn’t know when Kageyama’s hands had found themselves on his waist, but nothing felt more at home than the small circles he traced on the spiker's skin through his shirt.

“When you hurt your nose I was really worried. You were mumbling things, something about a midnight angel?” Hinata tensed, and he suddenly felt his ears turn bright red. Kageyama raised his eyebrow at the action.

“Oh my god. Were you talking about me? You called me an angel?”

“Shut up,” Hinata groaned, lightly punching Kageyama’s arm before he laughed. “Yeah. My midnight angel, shining so brightly in the dark.”

“You’re so _sappy_ ,” Tobio could have cringed, but the words that left Hinata’s mouth made him more flushed than anything.

“Tobio,” Shoyo sweetly cooned his name, bringing his hands to rest on the setter’s face once more.

Kageyama felt himself melt as his given name rolled off Hinata’s lips, smooth like honey.

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Are you gonna ask me to be your boyfriend, or just bask at the fact that I’m in your arms?”

“The latter,” he mused, before placing a soft kiss into Hinata’s hair.

“Shoyo, will you be my boyfriend?”

The spiker could have lost his breath, but the setter kept him stable.

“I thought you were scared of change?” The question felt foolish. They’d confessed, kissed, and yet something in him still felt anxious.

“This one’s too good to pass up. I’ll be okay.” Hinata smiled, letting his eyes fluttered close, feeling Kageyama’s calm warm breaths fan across his skin. Time felt still.

“Yes, Tobio. I’ll be your boyfriend.”

The two sat under the moonlight, fireworks bursting loudly in the background - and suddenly, Hinata believed in fate.

**Author's Note:**

> wow wow !! ok!! this took me a whole 5 days to finish,, i can’t even believe i finished it at all, to be honest. so much editing and love went into this so i really hope you guys enjoyed it. i haven’t written in a while but this fandom and these characters made me feel so motivated. writing this brought me so much joy. feel free to leave comments! criticism, anything!! i’ll reply to them all thank u so much for reading and i hope i can share more works w/ you!!


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